>> they can escape their history and build a better future if we do our part. host: yesterday, we heard from

two former u.s. president to help the people of haiti. today, "the washington post" about this and ask the question, for how long? this is sunday, january 17 and would begin with the u.s. efforts in haiti. we heard from secretary of state hillary clinton who was there yesterday. u.s. troops tried to prevent chaos in haiti's capital city. lutie louis coates flares were order breaks down. this question -- will there be a long-term u.s. commitment? the numbers are on your screen. the president will commemorate the birth of martin luther king and will campaign today for martha coakley for the senate

seat given up by the death of ted kennedy. we'll talk about that later in the air but first, this piece this morning from "the washington post." clinton believes that the country can come back stronger in the future. bearing so, bottled water and other supplies, secretary clinton flew into the battered capital and told the haitian people that the u.s. will be here today, tomorrow, and in times ahead as the u.s. struggles to organize a relief effort for a barely functioning haitian government. mrs. clinton said she was here at the invitation of the country's president and came in large part to hear what was needed by the people. you can also send us a tour comment. you can send us an e- mail,jopuranl@c-span.org.

caller: i think long term commitment should not be there. is this going to be a land grab with all these people coming inde? i don't think the united states should be there but the chinese or what ever could come in there. but fake with the closures and layoffs, more money should be thrown into our governments and our country first. that sounds selfish, i am sorry. i think there are many people, detroit, michigan, they have been really hit hard.

in my city, there is a lot of foreclosures going on. i think that's terrible. that's all i have to say. host: we will go to the democrats learned from jacksonville, florida, good morning. will there be a long-term u.s. commitment to haiti? caller: yes, i think it will bid. these people are really suffering. that is all of the other caller to say that. we need to commit money to all these other terrorists in other countries, one of commitment to haiti? host: york city, on the independent life. caller: good morning, you have a great show. i would like to make an observation -about the condition of haiti.

i am a professor and i was assigned to nasa for disaster in the united states. were a small atomic weapon to use. one thing we learn from katrina and learn from 9/11 and now you are learning it from haiti, the system is 80% cellular. what is needed here is the nasa program which put the cellular and telephone switching satellite. that is in case one of these disasters occur, god forbid, we have the port of north being run by dubai and so on, getting the device into york city might be rather -- into new york city might be rather easy.

if you lost part of the city, the same thing as haiti, you really need a communications system that is not subject to attack. cellular phones are worth less and were worth less in katrina and 9/11. the military uses a satellite so that they cannot be affected. it has limited usage so the united states to pick about using mesopause advanced satellite as a backup -- using nasa's advanced satellite. it is something the united states has not learned from the past. i think it is something that the united states should consider. host: you are looking at the photos that have come to us over the last five days. there is a piece available from president obama. his piece is called, "why 80 matters."

-- "white 80 matters." -- " why haiti matters." above all, we act for a very simple reason -- in times of tragedy, the united states of america steps forward and helps. that is who we are. the question is, how long? will be a long-term commitment for haiti? florida, republican line, good morning. caller: i feel the government should stay out of anything like this. the government got involved in health care and let the private market take care of it. host: who in the private market would fund the best? caller: you have welfare

agencies, you have the salvation army, you have the red cross, all these agencies and people sending in money. the government should stay out of something like this. they ought to stay out of health care and stay out of desperatth. host: silver spring, maryland, you're next. caller: that guy did not know what he was talking about. we have to stay in haiti. become -- the country is completely destroyed. they need help. right now, they are doing a good job. a lot of countries all over the world are doing a good job. we should stay for a longer time over there. one thing about massachusetts, the democrats will win at the end of the day and they need to vote for health care in this

country host: we'll talk more about health care. susan millikan will join us on the phone from "the boston globe." there is a special election on tuesday. "the new york post" the photo of the two former presidents. the report that already 20,000 bodies have been recovered since the earthquake on tuesday that was seven. s 7.0. bethlehem, pa., republican line. caller: acute for taking my call. i am disappointed in a lot of callers. with the history of haiti, we should know why they are

destitute country like they are. it is because of the policies and things of the united states and france. i believe they should have a long-term equipment. what type of commitment? not the commitment that has gone on thus far but something new to help the people of haiti instead of keeping them down. i'm disappointed in president barack obama, former president george bush, former president clinton. it shows made it will retain the status quo and the people of haiti will not benefit from this. the people of haiti will continue to be poor. they will continue to live in a destitute nation.

it is unfortunate. i want people to rededicate themselves. -- allow people to read and educate themselves. host: yesterday's visit of george w. bush to the white house was the first time he was there since leaving on january 20 last year. bill clinton talked about his long ties to haiti dating back to 1975 when he visited haiti along with hillary as portis -- part of their. a honeymoon. the death toll in haiti could top 200,000 people anchor has turned to violence on the streets of haiti. survivors are losing patience with the papal a slow process of getting international aid to the earthquake victims purgatories say may have killed up to 200,000 people. they have already collected

50,000 bodies, says the 80 interior minister. 40,000 bodies have been buried in mass graves. there is a story this morning about the oval office and rose garden event. unified u.s. from a but for how long that is the question we are asking this morning. the usual political animosities have crumbled along the images of buildings turned to rubble 100 miles south of miami. the three presidents pledged to work together to rebuild haiti. according to both white house on saturday, the president received nine briefings including one in the situation room. in a public remarks 3 tons. his office released and as a under his name that was -- that

said it suggests it will not be that simple. debate about how long to respond to the reconstruction efforts including the massive efforts in iraq of denniston to rebuild schools and hospitals has sparked ideological debate among america's proper role of the world. another twitter reader says we should make long-term commitment to haiti and other countries around the world. this is the right way to fight terror. next is melbourne, florida, republican line. caller: i don't think we should have a long-term commitment in haiti. but the short term is we have our own problems in this country and our resources are finite. i always believed that charity should begin at home. many people are unemployed in this country and we have many problems that we need to take care of. host: 80 trickles into haiti.

there is safe -- aid to trickle into 80. tennessee, democrats line, good morning. caller: i would like to preface my comments about our long-term commitment in haiti by making a couple points. one is that i am not a democrat, republican, or independent. all this with this in these images for the first time since 9/11, we are united in a sense of how horrible this tragedy is. where we are today in haiti, they have had a long history of the world coming in with emergencies it and leaving. i have a friend who is patient and she spoke about president preval and between the time

reserved his last term and ran for election this term, he actually stayed in the country rather than going to paris or miami to live in luxury life. he was actively involved in trying to bring economic investment and opportunity to the haitian people. before this earthquake hit, eight he was probably positioned politically for the first time -- haiti was probably positioned politically for the first time in history when crime was way down and they had politicians that were not in it for themselves. as for is the future, this tragedy, to me, for the first time as putting haiti of the world stage and exposing it for the country that it is. they are 80% roman catholic, a 60% are protestant. it is not a shadowy, dark, voodoo-practicing country in our

hemisphere. out of all this tragedy and rubble, i hope there can come an opportunity to do rebuild haiti re-forest the mounds and create economic opportunity for these people. as i observed -- and by of -- as i have read articles about the airports being clogged and it being the only way for a large amount of materials -- i am surprised no one has suggested to the pentagon or whoever is in charge that they quickly study the berlin airlift and organize the planes coming in and a bloating. -- and unloaded. ing. if anybody from the government is listening, you need to look at the berlin airlift so you can get the supplies of the plan, get the plans of the ground, and

get more planes it. we helped 3 million people with the berlin airlift. we did it with great success we did with great honor to this country and there's no reason why we cannot do it now. as sad as this tragedy is, perhaps we can set aside our political differences and look at how each of us are human beings and american citizens are expressing our american ideals to the world to show our compassion. host: thank you. "the new york times" says tons of food is already in the country but some of the unrest in the capital city, a gunshot can be heard. -- gunshots can be heard.

jaqnel is a port city. most of the world's attention has been focused on port-au- prince. there has also been a disaster of the southern coast. they have smashed buildings and extent of casualties. stranded residents are in the port city. they suffered widespread damage and that it has been cut off from port-au-prince to the north. they have been forgotten. four days after the earthquake, they are awaiting food, water, medical supplies, and relief workers. we're joined from wisconsin rapids, wisconsin. caller: as far as things go with haiti, many times things like

the airlift and trucks are delayed not by our relief efforts. it is an internal politics they. ing. haiti is like the early days with afghanistan and iraq. i think will have a pronounced and long-term economic, political, and military presence in haiti because of the fact we want to go ahead and develop the country economically for future customers. and strategically for our own defense in that part of the hemisphere. i think our president will see the opportunity to open these markets strategically, financially, politically and this terrible tragedy is airport in the door.

-- is our foot in the door. i think we will be in there for the long term. host: thank you for the call. more reported from "the new york post." dennis set up roadblocks in port-au-prince. -- deng's are setting up roadblocks in port-au-prince -- gangs are setting up roadblocks in port-au-prince. caller: i am a veteran and i think one of the biggest things we have to remember is the united states coast guard has been down there forever in and around haiti and cuba and miami and a guarantee you, there were the first ones on the scene. we need to make sure we support

the u.s. coast guard and make sure that we give them all our support in this relief effort with haiti. that is all i have to say. host: next is a caller from new york city, on the democrats warn. polish their commitment be in haiti? caller: i think we owe a commitment to haiti. people do not realize that as it did -- that our trade policy has kept 80 impoverished. they were very valuable producers of sugar and rice. we subsidized our sugar in order to get it cheaper per it is costing us more money to subsidize our sugar then we could have imported it from haiti. or from cuba for that matter. we are responsible for their impoverishment. we survived an earthquake of similar magnitude in san

francisco. we survived it with a little over 100 people dying as a result. thousands of people have died in haiti because it is their infrastructure. their infrastructure forced them to build in places that should not have been billed and the houses were not strong enough to survive. where possible responsible for their tragedy. that is what we owe them so much. we have to examine our trade policy all over the world. it is one thing to have opened trade but it is another thing to destroy the economy of a country where we can compete with them. we subsidize our own. host: if you have just joined us or are listening on xm radio, our topic is on the situation in haiti and whether or not there'll be a long-term u.s. commitment. the secretary of state travel there yesterday and we heard

from two former presidents of the rose garden. we'll show you more from what president barack obama had to say. "the new york daily news" said we can let this prices be forgotten. and -- we cannot let this crisis be forgotten. more from the president yesterday at the white house -- >> every day that goes by, you hear more about the horrifying scope of this catastrophe. destruction and suffering that defies comprehension. we have communities buried under mountains of concrete, families sitting in the street, desperate for care. many thousands of our dead parrot our longer-term effort will not be measured in days. and days it will be measured in months and even years. that is what it is so important to sustain the support of the american people that is why it

is so important to have a part of coordination for the support that extends beyond our government. here at home, president bush and clinton will help the american people to do their part. responding to a disaster must be workable bus. indeed, those wrenching scenes of devastation remind us of our common humanity but also are common responsibilities. this tunnel suffering can and must be a time of compassion. host: this is from "the weekly standard." the president's response to the patient earthquake has been short-minded and swift. he sees the opportunity as a moment that calls up for american leadership and has acted accordingly. we support this president without reservation. the moral case is self-evident. our hemisphere's poorest people have been visited with a disaster of epic proportions. we are in the position to offer them the greatest help but the

strategic case is also compelling. haiti is our very near the paper with which we have a long cultural and political connection with a transition looming in cuba and central america, there is a political reason for them to be a strong neighbor. host caller: i am a first-time caller. in response to the first couple of calls, i have been much more encouraged by the calls that have been coming in since i have been on hold. i am glad to hear a more level headed approach and look at this issue long-term. it is inevitable.

to say we will be there for the long term is not to say what will happen. i don't think we will just drop food and water and get out of there. to look at some long-term plans will prevent us from the kind of involvement that we do not want. we need to say how we will be involved in building. how will be involved in government assistance, not from our government but the government of haiti in building or rebuilding that government. to my friends on the far right,

i understand a lot of christian values that come out of the right and the far right and christian values in this country have always taught us that when we are in trouble, you do not clench your fist tighter because you are hurting, you always open up. even if you have a slice of bread, we have learned to go ahead and share even if it is only a potato. share with your neighbor because that opens up a spirit of resilience. to those on the far left who see conspiracy and devilment and everything that everything do, i think neither one of those extreme views is the power to move forward. i don't think that is a spirit

that will keep us going, even when we -- i think our financial crisis is not over here. i think people left to deal with harder times will learn something. we can learn something from the resilience of the people in haiti. host: the chinese commit $1 million to haiti and we commit $100 million which we borrowed from chinese. in haiti, which before the earthquake was suffering from the impact of floods and poverty, u.s. assistance has been hampered by decades of argument about who should lead the country. the clinton administration sought to restore and jean- claude are steep. -- aristide.

this could be politically tricky despite the promising of unity from republicans. rush limbaugh offered an example of the vitriolic politics that often accompanied debates on his show this past week. he accused obama of using the haiti crisis to burnish his credentials with minorities in the country and around the world and confused rout -- and accused republicans of having no compassion. robert gibbs called his, it's stupid. we are joined from stephen city, va.. caller: everybody wants a time line and would not even begun to help people get riyrt. it is like borrowing the neighbor -- neighbors a shovel. how long will he have that? we need to help them first and we will decide when we can pull out not now.

you are just loading the buses. why wait for these questions to be answered. it is unbelievable. [no audio] our sunday roundtable will get under way in a few minutes. obama tries to rescue the massachusetts senate seat in a

bid to save the race with more of the coakely -- martha coakley. next is angelo, from the orleans, the democrats' line. caller: thank-you for cspan. being a survivor of katrina, being in new orleans for eight days, i've never seen the red cross provide donated $10 to the red cross. in hope they would do a better job down there than they did during katrina. on a long-term thing -- we have three hospitals here that still have fences around them and our clothes that have not been reopened. it is five years after katrina. if you want to have a long-term commitment and actually do something, why don't we finish rebuilding orleans? in the short term, everyone is right, there are people dying and they need help now.

heavy machinery, what ever it takes, helicopters, immediate response is very important. they have been standing in water for 26 hours of watching helicopters fly over backward over me. you realize what these people are going through. you do not want anybody to live through that. as for as long term, let's not worry about long-term now. let's worry about getting there and get them as much help, food, water. i was offered $20 for a gallon of water the second day in katrina and people turned me down. there are basic things that people need for life, water, food, blankets, medicine. make sure they have it. as far as congestion at the airport, we have to make sure this is not people

grandstanding and too many chiefs and not enough indians. that needs to be organized. thank you for cspan and god bless them people because they sure host: thank you for sharing your experiences with hurricane katrina. where did this idea come from the we are not doing all this possible. we are the only ones doing anything. if you want to read more about what is next for the people of haiti, there are eight ways to rebuild haiti's, from "the new york times" this morning. they have eight experts and one says they have concrete solutions. they have begun planning with new building codes. it is important to establish standards that reduce the risk that structures will collapse in hurricanes and earth with its but to help -- and earthquakes

but to help haiti rebuild for the future. newton grow, north carolina, how long will there be a u.s. commitment in haiti? caller: i waited a long time to talk this is harsh but needs to be said. our politicians do not have the right to take our tax dollars and send it to other people around the world when we cannot even care for our own people. those people need help, no doubt about it, but it which should be we individuals as a family to take our money and decide how much we want to donate. it is the government's responsibility to give us a vehicle where it will not be ripped off at one end or another. the people in haiti must have felt like rabbits for they have not been able to take care of their own people in decades because they are vastly over populated. that is something that needs to be talked about, too. that is the main thing. around the world, countries

overpopulate themselves and are wanting help. they control their population, they can feed themselves for the long term. yes, the people need help but should beat we the people to decide how much we will get. the government has no business taking our tax dollars and sending it around the world to help people. let us decide how much we can help. we should have a vehicle to donate our money that will not be ripped off. host: one of the sidebar stories that you have been following is the orphan children. it takes up to two years for american parents to adopt haitian children. the story says that orphanages across port-au-prince are struggling to provide the basic needs to children. all patients in the capital is struggling. what makes the orphans different

in haiti is that no family to care for that and no hope of reuniting with their families except for the orphanage staff members, most of them have families on their own and they must abide their attention. these children have no one. one adopt a pet -- parent of alexander -- one adoptive parent of alexander was left outside in port-au-prince. there is no one to care for him. miami is next, republican line, good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. the in miami, i know a lot of haitian people. some are here to live and work and send money back on. everyone of them is looking for family and friends. some of them have found a couple

of relatives here and there who have passed away or who have survived. most of them have no idea how much of their family is ok or not. we have to help them as much as we possibly i would like to see us make sure that the people are actually getting the help, not the politicians, not the gangs and warlords who have already set up territories across the country. we have to make sure people are being protected and give the help to the people that really needed. host: i have never seen such patients among the people who are suffering. where the doctors and portable hospitals. detroit, democrats line, good morning. caller: good morning and thank you crumbs -- for cspan. i and detroit and i would like to apologize for everyone

calling from michigan. detroit, michigan is economically struggling. however, our situation does not compare to any circumstance that is going on in haiti right now. i am proud of the haitian people of their resilience and how they have come together and tried to make it through with their bare hands and under the situation there under. as far as how long we should be in haiti, that is a question that remains to be entered. let's concentrate right now and what we can to help. host: this is from "the baltimore sun." l.i., good morning, you are on the program. caller: after watching a horrible situation in haiti, i'm doing something about relief

efforts. have to population is displaced. you have 10 people in a tent. that is 500,010 separate now you have 500,000 tents. honey camps is that, 500. i would like to see fema people and the army corps of engineers to come on and talk to the people and tell them how this is a monumental disaster. nothing has been seen like this since hiroshima and nagasaki. it would be an eye opener to the american population to understand what would happen in this country if something of this magnitude happened. host: we showed you secretary of

state hillary clinton who was in port-au-prince yesterday meeting po yesterday president preval. she said the relief efforts were getting traction, she cautioned that the security situation was growing troubling. she said she hoped the haitian government would pass an emergency decree. which would give a political power to impose curfews and other measures. the decree would give the government an enormous amount of its authority which they delegate to us. mrs. clinton says he was concerned by reports friday that a group of miami doctors at a makeshift hospital had been forced leave their patients behind after gunshots were heard in the vicinity. the police forces decimated and barely visible in haiti, there are 7000 u.s.,3 peacekeepers the cost to the only genuine security presence .

next is lake geneva -- silver spring, maryland. caller: after 9/11, the whole world was there for us. they were there for us. they called in and sent stuff. they did all kinds of stuff. when we were helping the afghans fight the soviet union, set to the soviet union leaves, we pack up and leave. we leave those poor people, even more pork. or. if you do not take care of these people and come in and leave, you leave them in poverty. you are setting up for a terror- type results. these people feel left out. you offer fish and [no audio] it

does not make sense. they want to say f those ends. host: next caller. caller: to you have any other newspapers who are talking about the situation in haiti? host: i just read the editorial from "the weekly standard" which supports the president's efforts. caller: do you have a conservative guests on your show this morning? host: we have kevin madden joining us in a moment along with karen finney. caller: i think 80 should be a short term thing. and i think haiti should be a short-term thing.

we should take care the people in the united states before we get into long-term commitments in other countries. we have spent enough already. host: thank you for your comment. another tour comment -- we will come back to this issue later in the program and checking with some people on the ground in haiti. we want to turn our attention to domestic politics. susan milla and will join us in a moment and she writes for "the boston globe." here are some of the ads on ballston television. >> i am scott brown running for united states senate. by now, you have seen the negative ads launched by my opponents supporters. instead of discussing issues, they decided the best way to stop me is to tear me down the old way of doing things will not work anymore. their attack ads are wrong in go to barbara i am scott brown and

i approve this message because i am running in the name of every independent voter to take on the political machine and their candidates for it with your help, i intend to win. >> i am north of coakley and i approve this message. help block tougher oversight of wall street, give more tax breaks to the wealthiest, those new prescription coverage for millions of seniors. brown favors letting hospitals deny emergency contraception to rape victims. he lacks understanding and seriousness. in times like these, we can afford a republican like scott brown. host: some of the ads on the air in massachusetts. susan milligan from "the boston globe is joining us. how did we reach this point in a race that about three weeks ago was considered a foregone conclusion for martha coakley than the democrats?

guest: she has not run the strongest campaign. she ran a strong race in the primary and bowed out. it seemed like a foregone conclusion and that turned out to be a mistake. she should have been out there more. she had a very active campaign in the last week and that is something she should have been doing all along. massachusetts voters tend to be more liberal than the rest of the country. they are extremely disaffected and frustrated at what is going on in washington. they've questions about health care. it is not just conservatives that when somebody very conservative in the seat, it is also liberals who are frustrated because they thought when they elected obama and the democrats in charge in congress that they would get what they wanted. it is not turning out that way. the most important thing for both candidates is turnout. you see that happening a lot with both campaigned. people are trying to get their

supporters out. there are people who are declined to vote democratic but they are disaffected. that might have stayed on on tuesday and coakley is trying to get them out. scott brown has an ardent bunch of supporters. if he gets them turned out, he could win this race. host: let me write to you what the adam nagourney wirtes - he says there may be no better place to gauge the popularity of president obama. this weekend, democrats are struggling to hang onto a seat held on by senator kennedy for 46 years.

democrats across the country are starting to wonder aloud if it misjudged the electorate over the last year with profound ramifications for the upcoming midterm elections. guest: i think that is true and they have a couple of things going on. it is not just that the country is not quite as far to the left as the breakdown in government is. i think that is true and we have a senate that is technically 60- 40. this is not a 60-40 country. the same may be true of the house. again, you have many liberals who voted for obama who thought they were going to end up with a single payer system for health care or maybe a health care plan with a public option and they are pretty disenchanted and upset with the way the health care plan has turned out. i spoke to some young and

progress of voters to a polished they were very disappointed but said that maybe they need a civics lesson. governing is different than campaigning and you do not wave a magic wand and get what you want. it is parlay that people are upset with what is going on in washington. there is a lot of gridlock and partisan fight. some people do not like the health care plan. massachusetts is a blue states but it is anybody's race. it is from the conservatives and liberals alike. host: last week, robert gibbs was asked whether the president would be in massachusetts to campaign for mark coakley and he said no. what changed? guest: he did not say no. he said there were no plans for a day have been pretty cagey about that all week.

at this point, they think that the president will go up there and will help rally the base and get people to vote. they are not trying to change anybody's mind. they're trying to get the base out-he. it is pretty liberal state. the one to $8 they are unhappy and frustrated but sending a republican -- they know they are unhappy and frustrated but senate republican to the senate is not the answer. host: regardless of what happens, if it is a close race and it probably will be, what does this tell you about the state of the democratic party and the state of the republican party? guest: the democrats are definitely in real trouble and

they are acknowledging they will lose a number of seats this fall. they might lose control of one or the other chamber of congress. that will make it harder to get things through. if it is close, which we are expected to be and the democrat wins, and that is a huge psychological when for the republicans when they can come so close in a state that is usually democratic. it might be the best thing to happen to the democrats. what happens with the democrats is the turf wars are starting in the committees are not working close. this might be just the fire they need to get their act together for the fall granted, if unemployment is still at 10%, nothing will save them.

host: what happened in this race? what transformed from the middle of december to where we are today that made this, in terms of the polling, real close. ? guest: the democrats misread the out and out anger and discontent among independence and the disillusionment of the liberals. they were not really campaigning hard for a seat that they really needed to campaign for it martha coakley is not really a politician. she was an attorney general. many people in massachusetts would say she should campaign and ted kennedy would have done that. they should have been doing that earlier on and fought for the seat and not taken it for granted if she does pull it out,

that is an important lesson for every incumbent to have this fall. host: we will take a short break and we'll have our sunday morning round table and will be joined by karen finney and kevin madden and look at massachusetts politics and we will look at issues over the national debt coming up in a few minutes. first, i look at some of the other issues and the guests that will dominate the sunday morning conversations with bobbi jackson at cspan radio. >> haiti and health care and the economy will be the subject of the sunday shows. on all the shows today, the administrator of the u.s. agency for international development or usaid, lieutenant-general canteeken keane and interviews h

former presidents bill clinton and george bush who are heading the financial sector -- the private sector of haiti earthquake relief. there will be guests on all of the sunday shows to that. additional guests on the sunday shows, senate republican leader mitch mcconnell and on cnn, senate foreign relations committee member richard lugar and democrat eleanor holmes norton. you can listen to all five of the summit morning talk shows starting at noon eastern on cspan radio. it is 90.1 in washington. you could listen to it on the web at cspan radio.org.

>> i describe myself after leaving congress as a recovering in a congressman. >> fred grandy was an actor and congressman and he is our guest tonight on cspan's "q&a." >> sunday, a professor of the 1965 voting rights act and the role it played in black radical politics and paved the way for future african american leadership. he will discuss his book. tuesday, your chance to talk to the authors of the best-selling "game change."

that is live tuesday morning on cspan's "washington journal". thieu no one of your top news apps is cspan radio. there's also a tablet to all of our podcast, including q&a and after word spread it is free and available from the apps store. washington journal continues. host: our sunday round table with karen finney and kevin madden. we were talking about massachusetts politics. what is happening? guest: democrats took for granted they were going to win this one and they are coming out in force. they had about 2200 volunteers on the ground yesterday and knocked on doors and were

running phone banks. they raised about $1 million in 24 hours so now the machine is turning itself on and pulling it out. they may have missed the signal that we saw and it may be a marker of this season which is that people do not want to be told who they are supposed to vote for. there is a strong anti- establishment sentiment. it is not partisan. it is a mood in the country and for coakley to be presented as a shoo in, was wrong. guest: if you look at the elections in new jersey and virginia this year, those were bellwethers for what was going to happen throughout 2010. this is the first race of 2010. karen is right, there is a very strong anti-incumbency disillusionment with washington now. it has to do with a washington

that is in partisan, chaotic, and is not a solution-oriented. instead, boaters are determined to send a message to washington and send a message to incumbents karen and i were talking earlier. republicans have a lot to learn from this because we should not confuse this with a new real support for republicans, necessarily, but we happen to be the alternative now. that is what a -- that is what is driving scott brown. he is a vehicle to send a message to washington host: there was one ad that has been getting a lot of attention as one of the reasons why scott brown could break through to the voters. let's show it to our audience >> the billions of dollars this bill will place in the hands of the consumer and our businessmen, will have the media and permanent benefits to our economy.

>> every dollar relief from taxation that is invested will help create new job and a new salary. these new jobs and new sellers can create other jobs and other salaries and more customers and more growth for an expanded american economy. i'm scott brown and i approved this message. host: kevin madden, effective? guest: very effective. people remember the kennedy legacy as being allied with middle-class sentiment, middle- class frustration and anxiety. the tone and tenor as well as the specifics in that ad help scott brown successfully connected with the voters. john f. kennedy when he was elected president in 1960 was a revolutionary figure. he was someone was going to usher in a new level of optimism and a new effort to challenge the status quo. i think that was something that's got brown tapped into.

guest: part of the people are frustrated and it was being called the kennedy seat. this ad broke through. i do think that it is also ironic that you have republicans trying to recast themselves as populists on the side of middle class, hard-working americans when it was a republican president and republican- controlled congress that passed tax cuts that favor the wealthy over the middle class. there is a lot of irony going on here. guest: president kennedy was a tax cutter. guest: i would remind you that the economic situation we find ourselves in was one that we were left with by a republican president rid our president is trying to do the best he can. it is ironic that you have a republican running as a populist, breaking through on a middle-class message when it has been republican policies that

have hurt the middle class. guest: one of the mistakes that attorney general coakley made was that she tried to make this a referendum on the past. fundamentally, these contests are exactly that, they are contests about where you go for the future, making a choice of vision for moving ahead. i think that was a mistake she made was trying to make this about the past instead of scott brown tapping into voter desire to see washington changed. guest: kevin and i agree on many things. in 2006, one of the things that was said was that democrats have been given an opportunity to earn people's trust. ike leggett is exactly that. we have to take that opportunity and shave off -- i think we have to do exactly that.

we have to take that opportunity. the parties to come together and present a stronger revision. .

guest: oftentimes as a communicator you have to make sure if the grass roots people

are carrying that exact same message to the voters. one of the things we have noticed, the electorate has become -- is very participatory in nature. it is kind of like the american idol electorates. they want to know they have ownership in the outcome. you have to incentivize them to know it is their vote that will help you to win. it is a lot like, movie promotions -- people are more inclined to go because they heard their neighbors say it is really good. it has found its way into campaigning as well now. host: here are the phone lines. we will get to your calls in a moment. kevin madden is new yorker, and this is from the media

calling gillebrand a puppet. guest: i think that that puppet charges -- from the new york post, the photo with chuck schumer -- he figures so prominently in new york politics. one of the reason that gillebrand was appointed is because she was a chuck schumer's choice. he lobbied hard for her. he cleared out a number of people who are now in the new york delegation that were in the premiere. he also has a vast fund-raising network that is helping to support kirsten gillibrand. as far as ford's candidacy, it

is somewhat quixotic. just a few years ago he was trying to make the case to the people of tennessee that he deserves six years in the senate, now tried to make the same case in new york to the people. he has stumbled out of the gate because in "the new york times" profile, he talked about new york as if it were only the five boroughs. i suggested this to my hometown into yonkers and he will find out who will become increasingly lesser known all the way up to places like clinton and erie counties. guest: that reflects her strength. she was a congressman from the upper, middle part of new york state. one of the things i find a little offensive about some of the characterizations of her as a puppet is a they are little

sexist. it undermines her records and things she accomplished on her own. she is popular upstate which is a key to winning new york. you have to show strength -- rochester, buffalo, some of those other counties upstate. she has been popular. she came to the senate in a precarious way, to put it mildly. but she has done a good job. given this anti-establishment and anti-incumbency attitude of their it is not bad to have howard their testing waters so voters in new york the of feel like it is a foregone conclusion to have gillibrand as their candidate. i don't think he will run. if you do the market will see that she is quite popular. doing so would not be worth the damage it could do in a primary. host: we're joined from north carolina caller: i hope i'm not

cut off. i wanted to tell karen that i believe you are the weakest democratic representative. you always a agree with what republicans say. the problem is republicans have lied about what is in the healthcare bill. including c-span. one is the last time that c- span challenged the president to debate issues host: are in error jill, we did not send a letter to the president, but rather to the house and senate leadership. we asked them to open up the proceedings to be shown on tv. caller: ok, republicans don't want health care, just like they don't to help people in haiti. no republican represent them has spoken out to help people in in haiti. rush limbaugh and others have,

to state they are against helping people in haiti. there were two polls, one from south boston showing her a couple of points ahead, another showing her 15 or 20 points ahead. you are only discussing the when the shows a couple of points ahead. it is typical. it is an orchestrated movement to bring down obama. i wish we had democratic strategists with a backbone to stand up and fight for the president. let me tell you, there are plenty of americans out there who are for the president is doing in healthcare bill. host: [unintelligible] guest: maybe people need to see the green room conversations where karen finney destroys my argument. guest: i just want to make one

point. one of the things somber tone we have these opportunities for discussion -- i absolutely am a very strong democrat. we just discussed that i feel strongly republicans have not done a good job for middle-class americans. where there is agreement we need to be able to discuss that. we're not credible if we only take talking points. we should be able to say when we have done well or mistakes. it is the same when republicans have done something right. if people want a true analysis, we have to be credible. i try not to make it into just these either/or arguments, but to get to real issues. host: here is a message from twitter. guest: maybe she should look at the town hall with lugou dobbs.

guest: karen finney is a worthy foe. host: the unwary. they're coming after you next. [laughter] host: let's go to mark from cape cod, independent line. caller: good morning. this collection on tuesday is scott brown huge. we -- he was out doing a tour yesterday. i could literally hear him from 1 mile away. you'd think that it was a ball game. host: you are calling on the independent line. are you truly an independent voter? caller: yes. unlike the other caller, i think that people are dissatisfied with the democratic party totally dropping the ball on this.

deval is not like much for massachusetts and with coakley going hand-in-hand i think people really to give for granted. even until yesterday i don't think that coakley thinks it is really important. she seems only meet in december. -- meek and somber. i think that scott brown is a steamroller here. it will be a message. i don't know who i will vote for. the one thing i did not like about scott brown during the debate -- he seemed a little condescending. maybe a little overbearing. i did not personally like it. other than that he has run a great campaign.

he deserves to win, but coakley does not. come to find other issues from north adams and i did not even know that. host: ok. guest: i were to some notes here. i think that the caller makes a good point. it is always troubling and karen would agree -- going into the last 72 hours contending that enthusiasm gap. the last few days and this week and have shown that the republican campaign scott brown's campaign, is very confident, aggressive, going on the offense. coakley's campaign has been flailing. it is never a good sign. what mark saw in massachusetts is an enthusiasm gap which is

hard to overcome in the last few days. as an independent voter, that is one of the things as republicans we do seek. an incredible opportunity that many independents lining with republican sentiment against spending and deficits and the washington status quo. we are beginning to return once again, republicans, to the mantle of being the reform and ideas party. democrats are starting to be seen as defenders of the status quo. lastly, attributes the matter so much in campaigns. mark pointed out that he felt she was from wisconsin, someone who is not him. that is a fundamental question -- does this candidate understand the problems, anxieties of people like me? scott brown is winning that race right now. with a very strong indicator of white coakley got herself into

this problem. host: this reporter says amidst the ceaseless campaign commercials at the brown campaign is managed with overriding cheerfulness. coakley by contrast is attacking so relentlessly that they risked undermining her own support. at what point do negative ads hurt yourself? guest: there is always a fine line. you are trying to define yourself and your bottom. you generally define your point with mostly negative that spring and she is obviously running from behind a little. but i think enthusiasm is ginger. the democratic machine is turning itself arm. he got the benefit. when you are behind you can go one of two boys. you can go-to catch up, or stay positive. clearly he has done some very smart things. he has done a good job of positioning himself and tapping

into the anchor people feel -- anger people feel. as democrats we are the party in power, the establishment, whether or not that is a fair moniker. i think we are undoing the policies of the last eight years -- but it does not matter. it is always a better position to be challenging the status quo at a time like this. host: one of the problems of the negative ads is your fingers are on the crime scene. early on let surrogates define your opponent and paint them negatively early on and then make your closing argument. host: this is the one-year anniversary of barack obama being sworn in. here is a headline from the paper -- the magazine. guest: that has been the central

charge, if not one of frustration that many republicans have had. that there is a cult of personality around president obama that has helped to build him up. he has really never been about substance, but mostly about style. that he has never had the scrutiny many other candidates have had that whwho ascended toe presidency. i have not read the article, but that is a frustration out there. guest: one of the things about president obama important to remember -- is trying to do things differently. will obama change washington, or washington change obama? that is always the question. people were so excited when year-ago -- one year ago when he became president and they want change. unfortunately, it has been harder to make a check and then he would of expected or like to

bring up some of it will bear out in the 2010 elections. he came to the presidency at a time when it any one of the issues he is dealing with on his plate our presidency-defining issue. the economy, afghanistan, iraq -- the charges with global warming and the environment. these are all such meaty issues. he is trying to do things differently. i thought of it will be effective or successful, but i hope so. it is what he campaigned on. we have so many polling mechanisms and pick everything apart. i do we don't get a chance to take a step back and look at what is really going on. we or so in the minutia of the day to day and up and down. host: a new poll out there, the

from page of "the post" -- showing disappointment. john writes that you're into is presidency obama faces the polarizing bashan and soured public assessments of his efforts to change washington. guest: that is where i would disagree with karen's assessment of the president said he would do things differently and change washington, and he has not. he has been reflexively cynical, actually, and that every time he has faced a bump in the road he has become very partisan. he hasn't looked back rather than been a visionary.

he has not unified. it happened with the stimulus bill and now with healthcare. the american public had high expectations which were driven largely by president obama himself. the obama brand so to speak was a unifying, post-partisan brand about one man who could help to change washington. because the challenges are so much greater than what one person can tackle themselve, he over-promised and under- delivered. guest: i disagree. when you have republicans who said their objective was to destroy the obama presidency and have time and again stood in a way of progress, and not be willing to be all opposition party and come to the table with table-- instead from the beginning it was about

republicans figuring out the best strategy to take down obama. at first there were concerned because his poll numbers were so high. then they felt they found an opening with healthcare be in their waterloo. congress bears some responsibility. republicans have abdicated their responsibility with healthcare reform. republicans never did care about passing health care reform. if they had it would have come to the table with real ideas and the beginning, not waited until the end to say they need more time or needed chance to read it and throwing out ideas that would not move the ball down the field to solve the problem. guest: let we disagree with you and the previous caller who said the republicans do not care about health care reform. i don't know anyone on capitol hill who does not want reform

but the differences are on the fundamentals and that the specifics. we have a vision and said the democrats. the president had an incredible reservoir of goodwill with the public. the public essentially gave him a mandate to help to change washington. as soon as the process had a bump, as it always does on capitol hill, he returned reflexively partisan as did his party. the reason health care has had so many problems is because within the democratic caucus they have a hard time convincing moderates that the trillion dollar plan is the way to go. i do not agree with the assertion that republicans do not care. if anything it encourages more rhetorical extremes by both parties. guest: i don't think republicans made clear that it was a party, but wanted to use health care as

an imperative against the president as a party. there is a difference in priorities. guest: voters increasingly think that you have a $1 trillion healthcare bill with very little reform and it. host: pete, albany georg, georg. caller: good morning. you may delete laid all the responsibility at the feet of the republicans. it was bill clinton. he laid the groundwork for this whole thing to emanate. you are for getting chris dodd and barney frank and the great work at freddie and fannie. then you act as though americans are against the average person when the democrats do all they can to drive up energy costs from drilling for oil to creating new nuclear facilities.

they have always been against that and it is causing middle- class people to pay more for every good that they buy. how can you make the statement and have the republican ignore it? republicans were single-handedly the cause for the financial breakdown? when you had democrats urging no-money down home loans. they were responsible for things you neglect to mention. it amazes me you could think that the democratic party had no cause in a financial meltdown. guest: well, in the interest of full disclosure of have clients and the financial services industry, however, i disagree and that i laid all of the feet of the gop. i did say was republican policies like the bush wealthy tax cut that were harmful to the middle class.

the financial meltdown has a lot of dirty hands. members of congress quite frankly are using will street as a whipping post. a lot of the same members helped to repeal these measures. i hope as we get through this process by phil a., we learn more not only about what was happening at the banks, but also what congress and the fed were and were not doing. where were the regulation, were they being enforced properly? i think we will find there are a lot of people who are to blame and have some fault. i hope this process in the senate and then through a conference committee, and again with this commission, hope to get to the bottom of what really happened to make sure it does not happen again. i always thought the idea of too big to fail seemed ridiculous. it is true that president bush

signed the tarp plan. that is not me lang it at the feet of republicans. that is a fact. on issues like energy president obama has showed leadership on green jobs and alternative energy. president bush did not pursue that interest over his eight years. he privatized social security, but did not make any inroads on alternative energy, not only for the cost issue, but now we're bogged down with iraq and afghanistan we have national security issues at stake. host: here is the front page with the new politician in office. it gives republicans reason to celebrate across the country. guest: his campaign served as a template for republicans going

forward. he was focused on economic issues. he had an optimistic message. his message focus also on non- traditional republican issues. what republicans learned from that particular campaign is one we focus on our core fundamental values, beliefs and take that message and make it an argument about substance rather than volume to an electorate increasingly center-right, and take the arguments many would say are conservative but make, them into a big make that we could win elections. the guys up in boston right now have taken heed. you are seeing a play out similarly there. guest: then again, the other

thing republicans candidates did most is not to cast themselves as republican establishment. sarah palin did not go to campaign for them. they refused other republican incumbents campaigning for them. they did not focus on an attack obama. but in virginia they tried to tie christi to national democrats. they understood this was an anti-establishment of. time to be seen as an independent republican -- whether that is true remains to be seen. mcdonnell actually praised obama as a couple of stops. he was very smart and reached out to the african-american and hispanic communities.

that is not something traditionally done. he did not necessarily pick up support, but repressed turnout for christie. guest: it also appealed to those in the middle. host: our guests are still with us until the top of the hour. xm radio and also c-span radio available. here's a comment by twitter. laverne from san antonio on the democrats' line. caller: i have been watching the show for a long time. the young man from georgia was talking about the cost of energy and what he sees as the

president not been willing to look at energy. let's look at change. tell us what was going on in the closed door meetings. i am sick of these polls. no one has ever asked what i thought. greta was on one day talking about how 60% americans were against the healthcare bill. how can the number of people speak for me? look at the money spent every day on these wars. iraqi here. the majority of those fighting

this work our national guard and reserve this. the american people have no idea about the cost of this war. not only now what it is, but in the very near future. guest: i agree with the caller. in some ways in 2008 i thought it was one of the untold stories, not only for the brave men and women overseas, but when they come home the cost to them and their families in terms of of their injuries many of which will require long-term care. we heard stories about parents coming out of retirement to help support perhaps a son or daughter coming home injured. the ripple effects will something we will learn about four years and years to come. there have been studies, particularly with the multiple

deployments on the children. suicide rates in divorce rates are up. there is a mental health component. there is a health-care component, but also what are we doing to help them when they return home to reintegrate? we're not talking about it enough. host: let's turn to haiti in this miami paper. help on the horizon. now is the chance to get it right. here are some comments from former presidents clinton and bush. >> there is an unbelievable spirit among the haitian people. while the earthquake destroyed a lot it did not destroy their spring of the people of haiti will recover and rebuild and as they do they know there will have a friend in the u.s. >> it is still one of the most

remarkable, unique places i have ever been. they can escape their history and build a better future if we do our part. host: kevin madden, as you saw -- guest: it was an extraordinary message to the world about collective efforts by americans to happen this time of need. it echoes another importer and point that this is not the time for partisanship, but for everyone to come together to help. it is also an important lesson about the u.s. efforts in development to run the web. i work with a lot of groups in my private sector job who are concerned with development s to

the importance of helping them to build an for structures so they are more stable population, that and around the world with developing nations. i hate to view it as an "opportunity" but americans will see it as a chance to improve our image around the world as the humanitarian that we are. guest: it is incredible story. when you watch it on television you cannot grasp the full devastation. it is important for americans to see that the highest levels we can come together. despite partisan fights and disagreements that when it is really important we come together.

i would like to see more republicans calling out for aid to haiti. the most important thing is to seek two former presidents along with the current one come together i thought president bush was great yesterday. i laughed aloud when he said it to send cash. that was his blunt, direct style. in this case his right. they need money. the one thing about haiti -- and i completely agree with kevin concerning development -- i hope that we learn from this opportunity as to what we can do in the future to get resources to people. it is frustrating to hear stories again as we did after hurricane katrina, 9/11, when you have the outpouring of

support, but they cannot get it to people. host: from the atlanta paper they write that the red cross received $45 million within three hours, $5 million came from those using cell phones. guest: it is a testament to how technology is helping to connect with people around the world, similarly disposed towards helping. it is also a sign we need to continue to look for ways to streamline bureaucracy to be more effective. host: kevin madden, a republican strategist, former communications director for mitt romney. karen finney the work for john edwards in it 2004. under a contributor to msnbc. dean joins us from san diego.

caller: good morning. i'm a disabled veteran. the young lady sitting there, was wondering whether washington would change of, or obama will change washington -- i think that washington will change obama. i'm disappointed. we're all christians. but only god knows who is christian and who is not. republicans when they were in office put this country in the worst situation that we could be in. this guy sitting there talking, he realizes what the republicans did to this country. how in the world can you sit there with a straight face it and say what you say? i told people that obama would get some jobs in hear.

the republicans -- the republicans did not do a day's work since they were in office. we are paying them some $100,000 per year to a creek. how many jobs did the republicans make? not one. guest: i think that he is emblematic of many people's an ger out there when they look at washington as a dysfunctional entity good with democrats and republicans. as a political strategist a think both karen are aware that the american public has increasingly desired fast

results. it is one of the down sides of technology. people are looking for the instant reaction and also for the instant solution. dean's point also, the public is increasingly tilted by president obama's having over-promised and under-delivered -- feeling increasingly jilted. he has become as partisan and as interested in instant political gratification as washington always has been. host: did it you wanted to respond? guest: no, obviously i disagree. president obama has a lot on his plate and is trying to take us through as much as the can as quickly as he can. here's the trick -- we know that change takes time. we also know that the electorate is months ahead of us.

they it change more quickly than we can deliver it. guest: they are beginning to vote every day rather than once per year. guest: yes. we do not yet know what the real story of this presidency is. it has only been one year. people do have high expectations because they have been suffering for a very long time. you cannot underestimate when it has been bad for a long time that over time there really wears people down in some fundamental ways. i am glad the president will focus on jobs and the economy this month. elections are basically about jobs at the end of the day. host: with regard to haiti, this comment by twitter --

let's get to david on the republican line from virginia. caller: good morning. it shows the state of the country's psychology when the lady is the one getting hammered and not the gentleman. secondly, it is true. it is true that she has taken the brunt of the calls this morning. what part in the massachusetts election the as the out of control corruption play in washington? there are sleazy deals, kickbacks, the louisiana purchase -- what just happened with the union? the people despise this congress. the face of congress is harry reid and nancy pelosi, and i wonder what part that plays in this massachusetts contest? thank you both for your comments. guest: one thing i have said publicly time and again, i cannot imagine if i were someone

who have lost my job, were working two, trying to keep my family together, and i turn on the television to see both republicans and democrats fighting like teenagers. i would also be pretty angry. i don't blame the american people for being angry. that is why i say president obama is trying to do something differently, but cannot do it on his own. in general, i have heard that congress has become increasingly partisan. senators kennedy and mccain have said they're used to be more camaraderie. you new and hung out with one another. now it feels much more antagonistic. as the party in power we will take the brunt of that. that is okay. we are tough and can take it. i wish we could have really

fundamental change in congress along with the change in the white house so we can release the what would happen. host: the interim senator from massachusetts will join us over the next hour. guest: karen makes a great point. there is a column from the boston globe today where she talks about how this anger is at a beacon hill washington and effectiveness. joan's pont was that coakley has become the incumbent, is the face of incumbency that also includes the very unpopular deval patrick and the unpopular massachusetts state house. many voters both democrats and independents are crossing over to support our a republican in a traditionally democratic state. people want to send a message to both institutions. established institutions are under assault.

host: today, running scared, running hard -- this headline. democrats and republicans are both driven by the idea that scott brown could win. paul, westminster, md.. caller: i am calling at least partially in rebuttal to someone who called earlier. i'm calling on the democratic line. i have been a republican since far back and voted for gerald ford, ronald reagan, bush i. i got so disgusted with the party. one of the things was that this cannot constantly the right wing talk shows -- clinton did not repeal glass-steagall. the bill was introduced by the republicans and every single republican voted to repeal it. amazingly enough they voted as a bloc.

the next thing after bush was elected that they did was the bankruptcy reform act. it was meant to help the credit card companies. then they went to reconciliation to pass the budget. and it has been going on and on like that and i would like your comments. guest: i think the caller, he felt like he had left the party -- the party had left him. that is something republicans need to be mindful of, and i think that we are. in 2006/08 we were no longer the party associated with reform and ideas. to reconnect with the dispirited base, we have to get them back and re-fashion ourselves around

ideas in reform. i don't know the history of the glass-steagall act as well. my understanding is that then- president clinton signed it and bears as much responsibility as those who passed it on capitol hill. i did not know the point about the credit card fees. guest: have you looked at your credit card bill lately? guest: believe me. as you ask your wife -- i'm just kidding. she knows more about the credit card bill then i do. host: this is an editorial cartoon. it is from the boulder daily camera in colorado, the google search engine and behind it a tank similar to tenement square, listed chinese.cyberattacks. guest: this is one of the more

interesting stories going on and if he had not happened we would be digging in deeper. this transformative power of technology. we saw that earlier with iran where by twitter and online people could it out the real story. the chinese government has been afraid of that for some time. frankly, it appears abused -- google, and hacked in. they had actually used it to go after people they see as enemies of the state. it is a fascinating discussion we will have about what that means. what google should or should not do. at the end of the day, i find it fascinating and inspiring that people are going to change this world. technology is another tool, like

the printing press. information is power. host: google says they will leave china. is that a political ploy in terms of a threat they not carry out, or are they serious? guest: it might be designed to gain leverage. but karen is right that information and technology are so powerful. it has to do with people's self- interest whether in china or here. they will do what they can to protect their own personal freedoms. they will find in their quest for information and freedom -- it is insatiable. that will be a powerful element in this debate as we watch the progress. host: the next call comes from tom on the independent line. caller: my question is regarding energy policy. i would like to know where the

common ground is between the democrats and republicans on energy. why don't we see a program to replace old, inefficient boiler systems and federal buildings with new ones that pay for themselves and a few years? guest: wow, now that republicans are acknowledging that global warming is happening at think we have more common ground than before. we know that there is a component that is about national security. we need to reduce dependence on foreign sources of for them varmint and for our security. you have seen former vice president al gore, taliban pickens and others talking about wind, solar, hydropower. some favor clean coal.

that is a murky topic. there are multiple sources of alternative energy that both parties are interested at looking in. i hope over the next several months we can find more areas of common ground. not just because it is smart, but because it is the right thing to do. it could potentially create millions of new jobs. host: bill joins us on the republican line. caller: karen finney, i saw you talked before and you sit there and kukulie like the rest of yor democratic leaders. you said the republicans did not bring it plans to the table. when you can get to the table, how are you supposed to

bring plants? how can you talk about behind closed door plans -- what about the jobs you say you have treated? you sit there and lie. obama said it would be an open situation. is this what you call open? i think not. guest: all right. i don't feel like i need to respond to that. we obviously have a disagreement. i do not consider myself a liar. we obviously have a different version of the facts. when republicans start a health care discussion by saying, let's make this president obama's waterloo, there is not a willingness to come to the table with ideas. to say our mutual goal is to pass health care reform. that is not for the conversation began. democrats said we need to pass

reform and republicans said no, we do not want to. basically trying to hold up the effort every step of the way. host: he indicated he is not interested in running for mayor of chicago. he is expected to remain for one of the year. that is his english, not mine. guest: this is one of the best chicago reporters in the business. i have not read the article, but i am sure it is very good. a lot of the people forget just how hard that job is to be chief of staff. it is probably as physically grueling as it is mentally grilling. -- mentally grilling. i find it amazing that the golan than 365 days.

it takes a lot of time away from your family. everyone on capitol hill wants to call you and every reporter once insight. it is an extremely tough job of would not wish on anyone. host: then kevin asked whether he has mellowed. joining us from plymouth, a democrat. will you vote on tuesday? caller: you bet i am. i will vote and i will look for market even though i did not vote for her in the primaries. -- i will vote for martha. the problem with her campaign stem from the premierimary. she said to be the first woman filling ted kennedy's seat in her appeal was exclusively to women. should not appeal to men, black,

hispanic communities. it was a parade. every time that you saw them on tv at that they would break into a chorus of "i am woman." it has turned off a lot of male voters who are angry over health care, nelson in nebraska, angry of the lack of performance in washington. they are gravitating over to scott brown who is not a populist. you have not had a populist in the republican party since theodore roosevelt. we're not being fooled by senator cheesecake. guest: senator cheesecake -- [laughter] callerguest: he defined her camn

by what he does not like about it or which is not doing right. it is an indicator of the enthusiasm gap. i would love your views on this -- how many women candidates have had problems running for either governor or senator in massachusetts. either republicans or democrats. guest: it is interesting. women face any challenge. on the when and if you have to be tough enough, and on the other compassionate enough. how you strike the balance, speaking with and having worked with a number of women candidates -- guest: particularly in a blue- collar state. guest: absolutely. the cannot speak to how she may have been casting herself early,

but how you appeal to blue- collar workers who want to know you'll be tough enough on issues they care about, but at the same time women and others want to know if you will understand, have the compassion with social issues. host: mary has this pont for karen. guest: as in know i was a supporter of the 50-state strategy. i think what we're facing is that it is difficult to be a big tent party. you have both republicans and democrats trying to figure out how to return to the middle.

the extremes turned off people. how can you govern as a big tent party? it is part of the problem with immigration reform. how far out is too far? this is basically a centrist country. not a center-right. people are tired of the extremes and tired of the fighting. guest: karen would not tell would-- she will not, but that is the only way to a democratic majority. if you win it swing districts with conservative democrats that is how you win the south, when some of these suburban and exurban centers around columbus and philadelphia. unless you are content with a minority party, you have to

have democrats and republicans and those seats. they are majority-maker as cetes, someone a little more moderate than the deal logical wing who may run your part. guest: it will pose a challenge for republicans with the tea party movement. guest: you think or you help? guest: i hope. caller: i think the biggest problem is both a democrat and republican party are driven by ideology. rather than guided by principles. ideologies are very addictive and addicts will say or do anything to satisfy their addiction.

the collapse of our financial institutions is the perfect example where both democrat and republican ideologies have led to disaster. you have the welfare state pennsylvaniphilosophy of using d freddie to provide mortgages to people, do not worry, the government will take care of it -- then milton friedman, the business profit of cost our watchdog institutions on maastricht to turn a toeye allow for all sorts of egregious behavior. -- the business prophet milton friedman. until the democrat and republican parties go on a 12- step program and are guided by principles against corruption,

and moderation in all things, our country in the world will experience disaster after disaster. host: this comment by twitter, a what do you think? caller: as i said, they're driven by ideology rather than basic, truthful principles. simple truth that should guide our behavior. guest: if you are outside of washington looking at what is going on is very legitimate that you'd feel that way. people come to washington believing they have a set of principles they are fighting for and it can quickly disintegrate to an ideological, partisan battle. we have a president who wanted to come to a table to get something done. it was not the republican

agenda. democrats have tried. i hope for the 2010 election we will end up with the congress who will come to the table to get something done. neither republicans nor democrats are particularly safe. if you are an incumbent, watch out. people are angry about the feeling that you hare owed, and have not earned the position. host: here it is this message by twitter. . .

guest: it takes a lot of time away from your family. i think it has shown a raw side of political campaigns. s(ñi think that was the goal to offer a depiction of what these campaigns look like when you strip away the curtain -- pull back the curtain. [laughter] host: you work for elizabeth edwards in 2004 when she was wife of the then president -- vice-presidential nominee.

if you had to go through what she did, how would you have handled that? guest: given everything she has faced -- she has lost a child, she has terminal cancer, her husband cheated on her in a public way, that would make me angry. more importantly, not in defense of elisabeth but in defense of our morals and values as human beings, i find this book absolutely disgusting. there's a difference between peeling back the curtain and having an expedition -- exposition that shows what goes on behind campaigns. look at john edwards, without having to dig into a very personal private ugly moment in a person's life that serves no other purpose than like a tabloid magazine. guest: that is an interesting point. people work on these campaigns

and work on these relationships personally is a factor. i think the authors sought to show readers of that the public image was very different from what was happening privately. that is an interesting dynamic in the campaign. guest: think there is a way you can do that. one way we are losing in this country perhaps because we have so many information streams is that sense of right and wrong. is that sense of do i really need to tell the story to make my point or does this point merely help me sell the book? i am one of these people having done campaigns for a number of years and been with people in their most personal, private moments, i take that as an honor and it is my -- is not my job to talk about it after the fact. they have given me the honor of

being a witness to history and that is good enough for me. host: the media refused to report anything about the edwards during the campaign. guest: it would have been fair to report. there was solid reporting about senator edward' affair. that would have been fairground. i'm talking going the next beyond personal, private -- the whole thing about sarah palin drinking diet coke. why do we need to do that -- why do we need to know that? guest: i think the authors needed to show that the public image that was cultivated carefully by candidates is oftentimes a canyon between that and reality. karen is right in this regard, if you are hoping to work by

presidential campaign or any hope -- high-profile campaign, do you take the lessons from this book to heart? to support and that the -- it is important to have the trust of the people to work for them. that sort of stuff stays in the campaign. trying to litigate it after order is not a good idea. host: next time we will invite you for two hours. thank you for your insight and taking our calls and comments. we'll take a short break and we'll leave you with some of the news of this past week. this is from the cartoonist around the country. you're watching "washington journal" and a morning, january 17. -- sunday morning, january 17.

>> fred grandy represented in the congressman and he has been heard on the morning in talk radio in washington, d.c. he is our guest tonight on cspan's "q&a." sunday, tufts university history profile -- professor on the voting rights act of 1965 and the role it played in black radical politics. he will discuss his book. it is part of this weekend's

book tv. tuesday, your chance to talk to the authors of the best-selling "game change." it is about the 2000 presidential campaign. that is life tuesday morning, on cspan's "washington journal." did you know that one of the top free news apps is cspan radio. there are links to our podcast. it is all free and available from the apps store. guest:" continues. "washington journal"continues. whost: we continue to

talk about haiti. secretary of state hillary clinton was there yesterday. helicopters are dropping rations. there is a u.s. rescue team that was able to save 22 who were alive in the rubble. at least 22,000 corpses have been taken from the streets. the death toll could reach 200,000. we're joined by the vice president for international funding for "food for the port." thank you for being with us. as we look at the headlines, can you get a sense of somebody who was there tuesday when the earthquake struck and has been there on a number of occasions how difficult it is to get outside the capital city? guest: from port-au-prince, everything that is blocked or was blocked as of yesterday, the un and some of the u.s. agencies

are clearing the roads. when i was there, everything was falling apart. i was on my way to the united nations building. it is the old christopher hotel but crumbled. there was about 330 people that were missing. there was no way to get up to the hotel and back down. i was 12 cars from having a five-story building fall on us. through god's good graces, i am here. i saw the most horrendous thing, people running with bashed in heads and bleeding profusely. a big strong man was walking in his head was crushed but he was running out with a baby. he was screaming," hospitale, hospitale."

the whole city was in chaos. the whole city was crumbled. you could not make your way. four hours later i could make it to the carib hotel. i saw babies with crushed legs. everybody was praying and screaming i had never experienced such a horrifying experience it was really, really bad come. host: one story deals with the port city of jaqnel. the catastrophe of a parallel magnitude has been unfolding on the southern coast which has left this town littered with smashed buildings and casualties. it has stranded an increase obliqingly desperate and has bet

off from port-au-prince to the north. they complain that they are forgotten. guest: 80 did not have a lot of infrastructure before to get around. >> -- haiti did not have a lot of infrastructure before. the airport is getting the immediate attention. port-au-prince holds about a population of 3 million people. that is what they are focused in their efforts now. food for the poor has a warehouse in port-au-prince. we have almost 300 employees. we had not been able to get the employees back to work because we have had damage. we cannot get our vehicles to take water and food that we have stood -- stored there.

the infrastructure does not lend itself to immediate relief. it has to be flown in. it has only been the last 24 hours, maybe 36 hours that you are getting major relief aid coming in. the united nations, the brazilians, the americans, are all doing a great job. there is always some much you can do. host: he is the vice-president for international funding for " food for the poor" was in haiti when the earth -- earthquake struck. guest: i was able to get to the hotel i was in. we slept outside in the tennis courts. nobody really slip because there were so many tremors. we had a second drummer about 2:00 in the morning which was a 6.5. -- we had a second tremor about 2:00 in the morning which was 6.5.

i spoke to some of the u.s. soldiers that were coming in to look for americans. later on that evening, i was airlifted out by the american embassy to the dominican republic and made my way back to the u.s. late thursday night. host: one question being asked after the president and two former presidents met in the rose garden yesterday with reporters, talked about the u.s. effort and the long-term effort and we will hear from viewers of their thoughts but billions of dollars sent to the people of haiti over last 30 years, what needs to be different this time? guest: i think we all need to collaborate more efficiently. we need to collaborate the different agencies. there is quite a lot of ngo's who are working in haiti and are

doing a good job. we build housing, water, sanitation. there needs to be a better collaborative organization of all these agencies working together. we need to strengthen ourselves on civic projects. we agricultural, animal husbandry, and solar panels. other agencies are doing the same thing. we should look forward to how we work as one. it is the power of 1 instead of all individuals. host: thank you for joining us on the telephone. the website is food for the poor.org. guest: i think we're close to $3 million. we need more. we need to get as much as possible. we are credible agency.

donate your monetary donations. if you cannot do that, take a step back and think if you need to go out and have a hamburger today or a pizza today. these poor people have nothing. they have no roof over their heads, no food, no water, nothing. the best way everybody can help this by sending their monetary donations to food for the poor. if you can get to the website, call her 800 number 487-1158. we will get to the relief where the people needed most, not to other areas where it could be delayed. we have the infrastructure in country. we have over 100 containers that we are working with the southern command to get them down there. we're working with other agencies to get medical supplies, rice, canned foods, medicines which they desperately need host: thank you for joining

us on the phone. we should point out that the american red cross has raised over $35 million in 48 hours. our question for you is, should they are or will there be a long-term u.s. commitment to haiti? the numbers are on your screen we welcome our radio listeners on cspan radio and xm, channel 130. before the earthquake, he was suffering from the impact of of floods in poverty. u.s. assistance has been hampered by decades of argument about who should leave the country. the clinton administration sought to restore the john paul

aristide. there is a request of $30 billion over the next 10 years which could be politically tricky. let's talk to maryland, republican line. caller: everybody keeps asking to send money. p these people were forgotten before this happened. because they have nothing, the government wants to help now. these people should have already been helped. the one thing that really struck me and really made me mad is that they said the relatives will take them but use them as slaves, the children. we need to go there and do something now to protect them all and take care of and stop this. all the democrats were about

medical. we need medical yesterday. host: we go to lapierre, michigan, go ahead. caller: i think we should have commitment to 80 but also commitment to our country. rush limbaugh and others will not let that happen. people are not putting the ownership on what happened to our economy. it is republicans, same old thing. 8, agreed, that is the message. people want to go there, fine. host: one of the many photographs as workers try to free people from the rubble. america has always been there to help with any disaster anywhere in the world.

commerce, okla., good morning to you. caller: good morning to you. is there any other organization i can go to to give money to the hd fund? host: we are not here to promote any organization. you can go to white house.gov with aid set up by former presidents bush and clinton. caller: i don't want to put my money and has a bill clinton because i do not trust him. i think i'll go with the free the children fund. host: seattle, good morning. caller: i am glad that our country is participating. i believe it needs to continue until the suffering stops. i do not believe we should have

any sort of an administrative role. they are capable of straightening the country out. things should be recognized like security. any of us would want the same thing. at the same time, we should take advantage of the opportunity to set up the military in a robust way to give jobs to them and to let them help in the security of their nation. any american contractors should out -- should not have president. -- should not have precedent. they have been oppressed for so long. they are capable of doing it themselves. do not make this mistake we didn't i racked with having contractors taking the jobs of the people during a time of crisis host: misery takes hold in haiti as the u.s. and u.n. intensify their relief efforts

and deal with some of the dissension and anxiety among the haitian people. sabrina is joining us from biloxi, mississippi, democrats a line. caller: i think there'll probably be a long-term commitment. i don't that it should be long term. i said that because he was already in a lot of trouble prior to wall desperatall of th. s8i could not understand why ts was happening to haiti. it is on the west side of the island. they have cut down all their trees. even if america stepped in and tried to help, we cannot grow their trees or give them rain. all we can do is to get them back to where they could possibly get back on their feet. we are pouring money into that country and there is a lot of corruption who will hold the

government accountable? host: we will go to the republican line, oklahoma, go ahead. caller: i want to express about the issues in haiti. i think we should be there for an extended period time. this is not just america taking care of helping the country of haiti but this is the world coming together, helping people. this is what we are supposed to do. if we help, like the bible says, if you put out, you'll get it back. these people need help, we need to give it to them. we are a christian nation and we should help. thank you. host: 80 is in tears -- a look at the history. -- haiti in tears. long-term redevelopment for haiti, we did long-term damage

to haiti in sugar subsidies. our page is twitter.comcspanwj. caller: i think there should be long-term commitment in haiti. [unintelligible] there is corruption there. i think we know that. they have scandals going on. if we can give help to israel then i don't see why we should not have a long-term commitment until haiti can get up on its feet and take care of itself. if we can do it for israel, we

should be able to do what we could do to help get haiti back on its host: catastrophe in haiti -- the usual political animosities have crumbled along the devastated images of buildings it turned to rubble 100 miles south of miami. next is michael from baltimore, on the democrats' line, good morning. caller: good morning. i'm struck by the history of haiti. it is a unique history about slaves wanted a free state back in 1801. at that time, the u.s. embargo of haiti because we feared our own slaves might to the same thing. since then, haiti has been stigmatized in different ways. they have been isolated by the

fact that it is a french- speaking or creole-speaking country. you follow this course of history and you go through the papa doc here and you come to aristide. three times popularly are elected. the u.s. was instrumental in getting rid of him. we have to ask ourselves, which side of haiti's history are we? it is time to rebuild the institutions there because every country needs a place in the global economy and haiti is no exception to time to integrate haiti and make long-term investments to build up its institutions and make it a democratic status which it never really has had. host: how in god's time do people think a bankrupt nation

can keep spending money willy- nilly in return -- in regard to age to 80? in "the weekly standard" president obama's response has been short-minded and swift. he saw the situation as one of those moments that calls for american leadership and he has acted accordingly. show on the republican line, from bordeaux, alabama, go ahead. caller: i think the people there deserve help. we will have to go in there and rebuild it. if the people can't do it, they don't have much. the federal government here and the state government here in the

united states did not even help the people that are here that need help. their finances have changed and give them a break. [unintelligible] they should try to resolve the financial problems they have a specially with the people who are being laid off. this is common sense. the leadership from banks and mortgage companies, from cars, trucks, they have done work with

churches and the homeless and nobody helps me. host: thank you for sharing. one firfinal twitter comment --w building codes and replanting of trees and a source system is what haiti needs. thank you for your calls and  this hour and in our first hour as we share with you your thoughts on u.s. assistance to haiti. we will continue the conversation on this tomorrow on "washington journal." let's look at some of the issues and some of the guests that are making up the sunday morning conversation. here is bobbi jackson and cspan radio. >> haiti is the main issue in all the sunday shows, also health care and the economy. gaston all the sunday shows include rajiv shah, representing

u.s. development. ken keane is the head of the haiti task force. mitch mcconnell will be on fox news sunday. d.c. democratic delegate eleanor holmes norton and richard lugar. the sunday tv talk shows are meet the press, this week, fox news sunday. , face the nation and say that the union. you can listen to all five of these talk shows starting at noon eastern on cspan radio, 90.1 in washington, d.c., xm radio or you can follow on facebook and twitter. >> i describe myself after i

left congress as a republic -- recovering congressmen. >> fred grandy was in congress for five terms. he was an actor and since 2003, he has been heard every morning on wmal talk radio in washington, d.c. and he is our guest tonight on "q&a." sunday, a tufts university professor on the 1965 voting rights act, the role it has played in black radical politics and help pave the way for future african american leadership. he will discuss his book. tuesday, your chance to talk to the authors of the best-selling "game change." this is on the 2008 presidential campaign and the impact policies. that is life tuesday morning,

washington journal. one of the top free news apps is cspan radio. you can get quick and easy access to pre streaming audio channels. there's also a tab with links to our podcast. it is all free and available from the apps store. "washington journal" continues. host: we welcome senator paul kirk. let me begin with something the president obama told "people" magazine. he said that is what has been lost this year, the sense of changing how washington works. can you elaborate? you have been in this town for 40 years. what has changed? guest: when president obama was

inaugurated one year ago, he was left with probably the biggest economic downturn since the great depression, 700,000 people going out of work per month there was a free fall in the stock market, a meltdown on wall street, a crash and the housing industry, all things that basically landed in his lap. "wars going on. in my view, on all those decisions, and the president, democrat or republican, would have made the decisions he made. you cannot let those things fall apart. he had to make a lot of decisions that were not on his agenda. i think most of them have served us well. what has happened in the meantime and the country, there is still too many people out of work and struggling and anxious and probably angry, as well at the.

anytime, one would think, -- at the same time, when people in washington get together, they should help solve these problems. what i have witnessed in the 5.5 on site have been here, i have paid attention to this and served ias party chairman, the harsh and raw politics that is going on has enormous significance and public solace -- policy. it is startling. every move in the united states senate now takes 60 votes. the two independents and 56 democrats. the republican party is solidified in delaying and stopping any forward-looking legislation. i think it is much more a political calculation bennett

is a disagreement with the legislation itself. host: what is different? you were in the town as a staff assistant with ted kennedy. what has changed in 40 years? guest: the makeup of the republican party has changed. when i was here on staff, you had broad political diversity within both parties. in the republican party on its right, you had barry goldwater and on its left, you had jacob javits. the democratic party you might have had eastloand of mississippi and ted kennedy. ñííthe coalitions were made up n the basis of philosophy and public policy. that is to say, the conservative element in the democratic party worked with the conservative element of the republican party. similarly, on the progressive side, both parties and coalitions and there was a

moderate middle of worked together. you had people that work across the aisle by necessity in order to advance the political agenda. now, regrettably, on one side of the aisle, it is basically we will not reach across the aisle. we want to take this legislation down. the difference is, there is a different view from the minority point of view. they are very narrow. the breadth of political ideology is in the democratic party. russ feingold saione and at one end. it is much easier to discipline the republican party, particularly if their agenda is to stop any legislation rather

than to constructively work with the majority party and try to improve whatever faults they five in the legislation. i say it is wall politics which has changed and become much more prevalent. there's less substantive dialogue in discourse about improving the legislation and get something we can agree on for the american people. host: let's talk about health care. senator dodd says the bills hanging by a thread. where is it and what will happen this week? guest: the very last part of this week, there were conferences on trying to work and reconcile these issues and differences between the house bill and the senate bill. then there will be an assessment between the cost and savings of the bill to the congressional budget office. then i think it will come back

and hopefully, the early to mid part of this week, there will be an agreed upon bill that can be acted upon by both parties. i think he is right. we saw that when we left on christmas eve morning that it was 60-40. it will take some reconciliation and agreement but at the end of the day, they will pass this bill and 30 + million americans not insured before will be insured. there will be much more disciplined terms of what the insurance companies have done in the past. that is not accepted in insured people with a pre-existing condition. there was discrimination against women. there were a lot of features that have not been part of our national health policy going for. it will be done and i have said

before that this legislation will be important in our day, as important as social security was in its day. host: the republicans say that at the meetings that matter, they were not part of the process from the very beginning. guest: they checked out of the process early on. during the committee process and the hearings, there were a lot of amendments that or offered and accepted by the majority with respect to this legislation. and then there was a point in time -- it might have been before i came here but it was apparent when i came here that the republican party had said they will not let this bill go forward. the boards of 100 delay, the night, obstruction removes, nothing could be done and no procedural ford action and no

substantive action unless you had cut off debate. that was basically a political strategy. at that point in time, once they draw the line, the democratic majority of both houses of the president said that we have an agenda and we will moveuú forwad and we will get this bill passed. host: the guest is the former chair of the democratic national committee. hollywood, fla., honor democrats line, good morning. caller: i want to ask the senator a hypothetical question. assuming in an extreme situation that the citizens of massachusetts send a republican to washington and the senator

has the singular power to stop at the health care reform for passage and people knowing this voted for him with the fact that massachusetts people have health care now. it is up to 97%. they are all covered by separate would this be a blow back to the citizens of massachusetts by the american people as a somewhat selfish and self-centered action? guest: no, i think not. i don't think that the citizens of massachusetts see this election as just a referendum on national health reform. if you say it has worked well in massachusetts, 97% as you say, people are benefiting and

evolving new system from 1976. i don't this is a resentment against what they have or necessarily a resentment against a national health insurance reform. they understand the benefits can they. all politics are local this is a comparison between the two campaigns. ultimately, the reason it has escalated to do is because the recognition that the republican candidate is doing better than expected and once he was doing better than expected, there was an understanding from the national media that this could be a and vote that might interfere with or stop national health insurance. that is why you have all the attention focused on it. ike leggett will be hypothetical. -- i think it will be hypothetical.

they will get on with the necessary jobs programs that are on the president's agenda host: do you have a sense of how quickly the commonwealth will be able to certify the election? guest: i think they should do it as quickly as possible. usually, these things take about 10 days or so because they have to be tabulated and certified pathological level and the city and town level and they go to the secretary of state for certification in terms of absentee ballots and so forth, military and folks who vote absentee certification should take no log of what the law requires. before that, if it looks like it makes sense and puts on a wider margin, there will probably be able to certify sooner. host: let's go to the republican line from florida, good morning. caller: why have all of you

people in the senate and the state house or the congress been set a tone deaf? the vast majority of the american people do not want you are putting on us. they have told you time and time again with town hall meetings. the polling indicates that people do not want this yet you folks, primarily the democrats, are going forward and saying we don't care what you want. you will all suffer when it comes november. you will be out and you'll be shocked at what takes place. this is because of your arrogance. it is just astounding that you chosen to ignore the american public in this fashion. you wonder why the republicans do not want to go along with you. guest: maybe we have not done as good job in pointing out the degree of the benefits and the number of thingsa0 will benefit across the country.

regrettably, from the senatew;!+ side, there has been a lot of fear mongering about this legislation, socialized medicine, death panels kind of things that are not accurate. unfortunately, because of the complexities of it, we have not done as good a job to say with the total benefits will they parted i think the folks in your neighborhood and other parts of the country will live to learn more about the benefits. it will make health security ad financial security for your family and at the end of the day, this will be a positive thing for all americans. host: where are the sticking point is you try to merge the house and senate bills? guest: the issues to be reconciled will be how this will be paid for. will be paid for with an excise tax on the high and insurance plans? that was talked about in the conference is going for it. -- going forward.

you have issues about the nature of the exchange's. will be a national exchange or a state-by-state exchange where competition can take place between the insurance companies so that the people will get the best choices? and the lowest cost? there will not be the so-called public option, at this time it will be private competition with international exchange where the competition will be overseen. those are some of the major sticking points that we have to address. host: your the outgoing chair of the commission on presidential debates. will the debates be any different? will they learn from the past and had to adapt to differences in technology and the media? guest: since the beginning in

1987, in each election, the commission has learned and improved and adapted to what the audience likes best. we came from panels of news people to single moderators to trying to get more free flow between the competing candidates in the debate itself. the factor that will be most important going forward is how to maximize the debate audience through the internet and web technology. we absolutely maximize the opportunities through television. the new frontier, in addition to television, will be web technology and taking a ban as of that aspect. host: the problem continues to be dealing with the candidates and their campaigns, the restrictions they put forth. can you share one experience you have had with a campaign in the

past that frustrated you and why is that an ongoing issue in trying to negotiate the rules and regulations of these debates? guest: this is the highest possible political stage for a political campaign. you could make your aides and make personal appearances but this is the widest possible viewing audience without any notes, it is all extemporaneous. there is also follow-up. there is no hiding in this. this is as pure as it gets in terms of political give and take care of the risks are high and that is why the campaigns are so white knuckle and tents

in terms of negotiations with the commission. we try to put down the a good basic ground rules and adapting to whether a person sits or stands in a debate format, those are not the principal issues. let's not quibble or -- on whether we sit or stand privilege mature we have ground rules like the moderator being in charge the commission chooses the moderator. there is no playing with the ground rules after that. we have taken our hits from campaigns on the republican side and the democratic side it goes with the report and responsibility of making sure the debates are a permanent institution in our political campaigns. you want to share? guest: 1 on the logical side.

we had a third candidate which was ross perot in the early 1990's. we had to make sure each candidate had the most even- handed possibilities so we had to build a men's room for ross perot and had a hole drilled in the floor of a beautiful gymnasium at washington university. he never used it. it was one of those on used expenses, trying to be evenhanded with everyone. those are the things you have to deal with. host: manchester, new hampshire, good morning. caller: senator cakirk, i heard you say earlier that republicans from the beginning were not interested in being heard on this. they just wanted to stymie the discussion. the american people do want to

be heard. i am an independent and i want to be heard. my problem is i want health care reform just like everybody else. when i voted for president barack obama and was happy with the democrats came in, it was because special interests were supposed to be cut out of desperate lobbyists were supposed to be kept out of desperate we were promised transparency. why is there no tort reform? the lawyers are a special interest group. that is common-sense reform that is needed. what are the unions being told that they will be exempt from a possible cadillac tax. ? these are the things the residents in massachusetts have become sick and tired with. that is why there will be an upset in massachusetts because they are tired of being lied to.

guest: 94 requested. -- thank you for your question. i understand your anxiety and anger and unrest that goes with this. first of all, on the tour reform, both the house and senate have references to come to grips with that within the health care reform. it has not been the central element of it. there are many different interests involved in washington generally i could make the argument with you that perhaps there are too many of moneyed interest in politics in any event. at the end of the day, i think this legislation, like all major legislation, this is not the final answer nor is it a perfect bill. there is -- it is an enormous

step forward after four years of trying to advance national health insurance for the american people. there will be corrections and amendments over the next two or three congresses to this legislation. when 30 million new people can be insured and be insured in a way where they are protected in ways they have not been before like the ones with pre-existing conditions that can get insurance, that is a major step forward for the american people that is a great part of the virtues of this legislation is about. host: west haven, connecticut, on the democrats' line. caller: i am 80 years old. i have been a registered democrat since i was 21. i voted for this gentleman. i am beginning to wonder about him.

it is a health bill. what the heck is in there? it is supposed to benefit us. if he keeps cutting and cutting every year and cutting, i belong to and hmo, going back to the original one. they just went up $13 per month. if this is so great or going to be so great, where is the information coming to the people? guest: i would say that given where we are deficit-wise, this is a messy piece of legislation that will lower our $130 billion over the first 10 years and many more than that over the next decade. it will be helpful and beneficial to small business.

it will strengthen medicare which we all benefit at a certain age. it will solidify medicaid, as well. it will give opportunities for those looking forward to their elderly years for long-term care capabilities and opportunities that you did not have in the past. as i said before, it will give opportunities to 30 million new uninsured people in connecticut to florida and across the country. there is a lot in this bill that you will find be very beneficial to your neighbors, the people in your area and the country. it is complex, for sure. there are betty details edit. the emergence of this bill at whatever age will feel better. it will help children. it will help families. it will provide health security and financial security for many of those americans who now have neither. host: what the institute for the

study of the senate? guest: this will be an institute that will study the united states senate, study the 47-year career of senator kennedy as arguably the most effective legislator in history. it will bring people's understanding of what happens and what has happened in the past in the united states senate, the constitutional role and function, what has happened in its history, perhaps to inspire younger generations coming forward. the importance of the united states senate and its deliberations at its core, it will have an educational mission. i believe over the course of time through history and analysis and scholarship it will

continue to be an inspirational and educational institution for not only scholars but public, generally host: how you bring back that ability to cross party lines that you say was here when senator kennedy came and was lost molest 8-10 years. ? guest: i start with the politics of it. after the last election, colin powell, who served under republicans and so forth, gave some guys to the republican party and said that their base and mindset is becoming too narrow, if you will, and the world war is going in the other direction. that is to say the diversity of our country, in terms of that are ethnic heritage, our political diversity of thought is where the world is going and

where americans are going. what we are talking about is a couple of things. we have this 24-7 news cycle where people and politicians feel the need to instantly respond. so much of what we hear on radio these days, talk shows that are probably motivated by provocation and that is the matra, the name of the game, so to speak. it feeds a certain element which reinforces the base of many of the politicians. it gets reflected into the discourse of the bali -- body politic. there's probably too much money in the system as well. we have to change that stuff. at the end of the day, it is about the good faith and goodwill of our elected

officials who are attentive to the people they represent and to bring the good faith of those people to public discourse and dialogue and with an intense to not just stop the other side politically but to work with them so that the american people as a whole benefit. host: any desire to run for elective office? guest:no, and not because it is not important. it is a serious responsibility. between agent other things, i think i will be very delighted to have this privilege but i will not be running for public office. host: senator paul kirk, a democrat from massachusetts, thank you for stopping by. we will continue the discussion tomorrow morning. we'll be joined by